The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) has fined the mayor of the small Canadian town of Emo, Ontario, $5,000 for refusing to declare June as Pride Month and fly a Pride flag.
The HRTO fined the town itself $10,000 after refusing to participate in the ceremony and display the “LGBTQ2 Rainbow Flag” outside City Hall, according to the HRTO. That's what it means. decision. This town, located near the Minnesota border, is home to 1,300 souls.
A Canadian town could be fined $10,000 for refusing to participate in Pride Month and fly an LGBTQ2 rainbow flag outside city hall. Town employees were also ordered to complete mandatory “human rights” training. https://t.co/Rty2S2aeDq pic.twitter.com/IGzGMbAinE
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The HRTO has ordered township staff to undergo “human rights” training for alleged violations of the Ontario Human Rights Act, the decision states. The incident dates back to 2020, when a group called Borderland Pride petitioned the town to declare June Pride Month. The petition states that “pride is necessary to demonstrate community support and belonging for LGBTQ2 individuals,” and that “diversity in sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression is a positive contribution to society.” It included a draft declaration declaring that the
The petition asks emos to fly “the LGBTQ2 rainbow flag for a week of your choosing.” The town council rejected the petition by a vote of 3 to 2. According to Go to the National Post Office. Mayor Harold McQuaker said in his reasoning for voting against the proposal, “There is no flag raised for the other side of the coin… There is no flag raised for straight people.” (Related: Blue states successfully remove obsolete definition of marriage from books)
Human Rights Tribunal deputy chairwoman Karen Dawson found that the mayor's arguments were “degrading and disrespectful to the LGBTQ2 community of which Borderland Pride is a member, and therefore amount to norm-based discrimination”. Mr Dawson argued that this statement “constitutes norms-based discrimination”. Borderland Pride had asked for the township to pay $15,000 in fines and the three council opponents to pay $10,000 each.
Even though the group didn't get the full settlement it had hoped for, attorney and Borderland Pride board member Doug Judson said he was satisfied with the court's decision, CBC The news said. reported. “We did not pursue this for the money. We pursued this because we suffered discriminatory treatment from the municipality, and the municipality was charged with the Ontario Human Rights Act. “Under the law, we have a duty not to discriminate in the provision of services.”
